www.VoiceofCanada.ca

UPDATED 2123 EST July 14/08

“An appeaser is someone who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.”

Winston Churchill

CANACE released three editorials yesterday to aggressively counter an attempt by a coalition of Brantford builders called the Haldimand Tract Good Neighbours Coalition to sell out Canadian justice by urging municipalities to turn over taxpayer’s monies to the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI), an organization that has shut down development sites in Hagersville, Cayuga and Brantford with intimidation and illegal occupations.

The HDI has been accused of extortion by both MPP Toby Barrett and MPP Bob Runciman:

• MPP Toby Barrett, March 18/08: Barrett demands action on HDI extortion
• MPP Bob Runciman, May 29/08: Brantford questions from Runciman

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UPDATED 1100 EST June 03/08

Brantford and democracy wins big! Yesterday, June 02/08, the judge granted the injunction to the City of Brantford, ordering that there be no more blockades, threats, intimidation, work stoppages. See, ‘Big win for Brantford and for Canada!‘
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Yesterday, the lawyer for Brantford responded forcefully to a threat against Canada and the rule of law from Ovide Mercredi, former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, that was - unbelievably - actually read out loud in a Brantford courtroom on Friday:  

The man who was the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations for most of the 1990s had some dire words of warning for Brantford. Ovide Mercredi filed an affidavit from Winnipeg as part of the defence against Brantford’s request for an injunction against native protesters.

“If an injunction is issued in Brantford in these circumstances, I have grave doubts that the peace will hold. Moreover, I think it is important for the court to understand that organized groups, institutions and leaders with aboriginal nations will not … have the authority to control the actions of the individual members of their communities.

“An injunction employed to restrain the exercise and assertion of aboriginal rights not only threatens the public peace and safety but fundamentally undermines the rule of law.”

Brantford Expositor, May 31/08: Former First Nations chief issues warning to city [REPRINT] [PDF]

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UPDATED 2317 EST May 31/08

This post began as a comment by WL McKenzie Redux in response to my reply to a reader in which I mentioned that Jeff and Gary were filing private prosecutions in a Cayuga court.
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Having to use self initiated court actions to force police to do their duty…my God! There is such a surreal Alice in blunderland surrealism about Onterrible these days..the mad hatter sits in Queen’s park, the march hare his minister…the mad tea party has lasted too long.

VoC REPLY (updated 2317 EST May 31/08): If you think citizens fighting the police to lay charges against criminals is ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ have a look at the picture of Fantino  [from Turtle Island News May 28/08] yucking it up with cop-assaulter Clyde Powless and Floyd Montour, one of the leaders of the builder-blockades on behalf of the HDI extortion program!  (more…)

UPDATED 1054 EST April 28/08

On April 23, 2008, just one day after personally serving Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant with notices under the Libel and Slander Act for his public comments about me, my complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Commission and CANACE co-founder Gary McHale, OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino appeared on the John Oakley Show on AM640 Toronto Radio and earned the right to a similar notice by falsely accusing us of being ‘involved’ in violence and having a violent agenda.

Bryant is served, CANACE helps Mayor Trainer expose a key OPP fabrication 

I served Bryant right before the start of his meeting with Haldimand Council on April 22/08 while he was going around the room shaking hands.

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I received two ‘Letters to the Editor’ from Caledonia residents who sent them to media outlets for publication, but have asked us to reprint them. Both women have been very much impacted by the occupation of the Douglas Creek Estates and, apparently, didn’t think much of Fantino’s pathetic PR appearance at a Caledonia Tim Horton’s on March 02/08 while we were protesting at his home in Woodbridge.

Mr. Fantino, this is not a game
by Pauline McDougall

To: Christina Blizzard
Subject: Concerned Citizen

Hi Christina,

Just read your article about property in Caledonia. Great article [reprint]. Thanks for keeping our town in the papers. I’m writing to tell you that we are also stuck in the middle of this mess and hostage taking.

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UPDATED 1747 EST Mar 04/08

Yesterday’s protest at Fantino’s home was, according to those who took part, the ‘best ever.’ Not only did we get some awesome media coverage for Caledonia’s agony, but Fantino was forced into lamely dealing with the fallout of his continued refusal to meet non-native protesters by going to Tim Horton’s in Caledonia for a PR stunt that backfired.

Fantino makes ‘planned’ trip to inspect renovations at Cayuga OPP detachment 

One of our number got a call from a reliable source in Caledonia saying Fantino was in Tim Hortons, so Gary McHale - who was not on site - sent out an email to his very extensive media list. We started getting calls from media who were trying frantically to confirm the Timmy’s siting, the significance of which was not lost on them.

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A little trip down memory lane…

Negotiators trying to resolve an aboriginal protest in Caledonia, Ont., say the occupation will be over soon. 

“I think they are close to a solution, and I’m very happy with the way things are going,” Mohawk Confederacy Chief Alan McNaughton said Friday.

McNaughton said he expects the blockades set by protesters across the main road through town will be removed within a week.

Former Ontario premier David Peterson, who has been trying to broker a deal between the natives and the province, was also hopeful a peaceful resolution to the standoff is not far away.

“We are making progress,” Peterson said. “Obviously one of the things we are working very hard on to help turn the temperature down is to see if we can clear away some of the roadblocks.”

“We’ve made some real progress and I think everyone is very optimistic now.”

CTV.ca, May 12, 2006: Caledonia land dispute nears end: negotiators

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In ‘Sharbot Lake occupation falling apart, I provided links to various news items regarding the punishment handed out against those who conducted an illegal occupation that blocked the development of a uranium mine by Frontenac Ventures.

Well, it seems that MPP Randy Hillier, former president of the Lanark Landowners Association, thinks the occupiers got a raw deal. He and federal MP Scott Reid issued a media release saying that Robert Lovelace’s punishment was ‘cruel and unusual.’

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“An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.”
Winston Churchill

Source: Belleville Intelligencer
Date: Feb 22, 2008
Title: No charges yet in police assault [reprint]

On Jan. 30, two plainclothes officers with the OPP’s Major Event Liaison Team arrived at the Thurlow Aggregates quarry on Deseronto Road and asked to speak with protest organizers.

They were told to return to the site after dark - around 8 p.m. - for a meeting with “elders”, according to police.

It is believed the officers were pushed to the ground, pelted with snow and their vehicle was damaged by those at the scene. Neither officer, however, was reported to have been injured.

Feeding the crocodiles in Deseronto

Readers will recall that the Belleville Intelligencer once ran an editorial applauding Deseronto town council and the Royal Canadian Legion for refusing to rent rooms to us so that we and Caledonia citizens could inform people there about the realities of Two Tier Justice, and the steps we were taking to peacefully oppose it.

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Both the Hamilton Spectator and St. Catharines Standard published articles today quoting Federal Liaison for Caledonia David Crombie as telling Caledonia to get used to living with land claims. If Crombie made any statement as to whether or not innocent residents also have to get used to the terror, crime, intimidation and uncertainty caused by violent native extremists, it was not reported.

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UPDATED 1956 EST Jan 26/08 

Until yesterday, we were under the impression that the OPP news release quoting Fantino blaming the non-native victims of the Caledonia violence was issued the next day, Dec 02/07, which is the date it was published in the London Free Press.

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After publishing the story about my numerous attempts to beg the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) for help in defending civil rights in Caledonia (Canadian Civil Liberties Association turns blind eye to Caledonia’s agony), I, along with several readers who also took time to contact them, finally received a response.

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UPDATED 2122 EST Dec 15/07

This post was inspired by a comment from a Six Nations man named Donny who took time to write in to offer his hopes that his community and Caledonia were not so far apart that things could not be healed. (see Mark Watson, Caledonia - The dangers of ignoring Civil Rights)

Donny mentioned that he and the organizer of the Dec 1/07 protest that turned violent, Doug Fleming, attended school together. He didn’t mind Doug’s initial protests away from the smokeshacks (ie. in front of the police station :-)) but he didn’t think the Dec 1st demonstration was helpful because Doug should have known it would lead to confrontation.

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UPDATE 2134 EST Dec 13/07: I have been advised by 3 separate people that there is video footage showing that DCE occupation leader Clyde Powless pointed out Kyle Hagan to the arresting officer shortly before his arrest on Dec 01/07.

CaledoniaWakeUpCall.com has just posted photos and an editorial called, ‘The Arrest of Kyle Hagan for being ‘White‘ in connection with the outrageous arrest of Caledonia resident Kyle Hagan during the demonstration on Dec 01/07 that turned ugly when native smokeshack thugs launched unprovoked attacks on peaceful demonstrators. Kyle was charged with ‘Obstructing Police.’

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Kudos to Karen Sorrell of Caledonia for putting Julian Fantino in his place with an absolutely brilliant letter to the editor published in today’s Hamilton Spectator. She was responding to Fantino’s silly and irrational attempt to blame Caledonia residents for the violence committed against peaceful non-native protestors one week ago (Dec 03/07).

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